Bluford Archives: Celebrating Dudley Day
On Friday, November 1, 2019, inside the historic James B. Dudley High School Auditorium in Greensboro, North Carolina, over 200 Dudley High School Panthers, Dudley High Alumni, and A&T Aggies were gathered for a historic day. For the first time in several decades, the local community celebrated “Dudley Day”, a former annual recognition of the life of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s second president Dr. James B. Dudley.
Dr. James Benson Dudley (1859-1925) served as president of North Carolina A&T from 1896 until his death in 1925. Under his leadership, the college increased nearly fivefold in size of enrollment and his reputation as a great educator was known nationwide. Beginning in 1927, at the suggestion of his successor President F. D. Bluford, “Dudley Day” was to be an annual recognition of his life to be observed on or close to his birthday on November 2. The first Dudley Day speakers were M. C. S. Noble [Noble Hall] chairman of the board of trustees for A&T and a friend of Dudley’s for over 40 years, Walter Clinton Jackson then vice-president of what is now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Dr. Gaston Alonzo Edwards A&T ‘1901 accomplished architect and president of Kittrell College.
Like the first celebration, each following Dudley Day attracted alumni like Prof. Austin W. Curtis ‘1899 and Dr. John W. Mitchell ‘1908, friends and contemporaries like Dr. E. E. Smith president of Fayetteville State University, and nationally renowned educators like Dr. Rufus E. Clement, Nannie Helen Burroughs and Mary McLeod Bethune. The programs would also include music by the A&T Choral Club and the College Quartet who would sometimes sing Dudley’s favorite song “Study War No More.” In the early annual college bulletins “Dudley Day” was listed as an Aggie holiday or special day along with “Negro History Week”, “Morrill Day”, Christmas, and Thanksgiving.
A&T loved and cherished the memory of President Dudley so much that his birthday became “Founder’s Day” and for decades that is why it was celebrated in November, instead of our actual founding date of March 9. Along with this special day, Dudley was for many years the most honored African-American male in Greensboro N.C., with A&T’s Dudley Memorial Building, Dudley Street, and the James B. Dudley High School named for him in 1929.
In 2017 two Dudley High School alums celebrating their 50th class reunion visited the F. D Bluford Library Archives to donate their class history book. A conversation was started, with the goal to resurrect Dudley Day to teach today’s young people about the great legacy of Dr. Dudley. Plans were made to do this in 2018, but they fell through. Attempting Dudley Day in 2019 had an extra special meaning; to commemorate Dr. Dudley’s 160th birthday and the 90th anniversary of the high school. This year the archives, members of the F. D. Bluford Library Community Engagement Committee, Department Of History and Political Science, University Advancement, Student Affairs, the Dudley High School, and the Greensboro Chapter of the Dudley HS Alumni Association formed a Dudley Day Committee. A one-day event was planned for the high school.
For the final program, our masters of ceremonies were “Miss 1929” Tanei’jia Baldwin and “Mister Dudley” Joshua Garner. A&T archives librarian James R. Stewart Jr. did a presentation on the life and legacy of Dr. Dudley. Kassinda Ross, president of the Greensboro Chapter of the Dudley Alumni Association did a rousing speech on the history of the Dudley High School. Brenda James DHS ‘63 our featured speaker asked the young audience to think about their own legacy and one could tell that the students really treasured her wisdom. The program concluded with remarks from Assistant Principal James Moore. At all times the room was full of Panther Pride and Aggie Pride.
It is sincerely hoped that Dudley Day will be back next November bigger and better than ever. Sharing our connected community histories, reaching out to alumni, and preserving historical legacies are great examples of what AGGIES DO!
The F. D. Bluford Library Archives has collections on Dr. James B. Dudley, his wife Mrs. Susie B. Dudley lyricist of “Dear A. & T.”, the Dudley High School, and notable alumni of both institutions. To view these collections, please visit us on the second floor of the F. D. Bluford Library. For more information or questions about A&T history please contact us at libraryarchives@ncat.edu.
